Im a noob at turbo boosting. need questions answered

[ChocoPowder]

I see modern laptops has a very low CPU speed like 1.7GHz but it has the availability to turbo boost to 2.6 for example.

How exactly does it work? You turn on the turbo boost by yourself? or it deos it automatically?
Does it heat up alot when turbo boosting?

 

[Obnoxious]

When the applications you run require more power in terms of performance, Intel Turbo Boost will step in and automatically increase the frequency of your processor from 1.7GHz up to a maximum of 2.6GHz (in your given scenario). Turbo Boost automatically kicks in when you require more from your processor, however it must be enabled in the BIOS; by default it's usually enabled.

When the processor's frequency has been increased, the CPU's temperature can increase too. However the increased temperature shouldn't be too dramatic, nothing which the existing cooler can't handle.

The aim of Turbo Boost is to increase power when required. Another technology from Intel is SpeedStep, which reduces your CPU's frequency when you don't need that much performance. Together both of these will reduce power requirement in a smart way, whilst also aiming to keep your CPU's temperatures lower than usual. If within a laptop, it will also prolong battery life.

The aim of SpeedStep is to reduce the frequency of your CPU when it is not under heavy load, whereas Turbo Boost will exceed the stock CPU frequency to provide better performance.

All the best.